Education has undergone so much change over the last 18 months. At TICK Hub we believe that schools should adopt a holistic approach to education, particularly in terms of their catch-up programme and curriculum.
In areas where schools are serving deprived communities, research shows that the curriculum narrowed, focusing mainly on maths and English. Research undertaken from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) highlights this. Their research identified typically four models which schools fell into: narrow (prioritising maths and English over other subjects), focused (prioritising core content within subjects), blended (supporting maths and English through other subjects) and continuous (covering content over a longer period of time). The NFER found that schools adopting the ‘narrow’ approaches, were often responding to accountability pressures. But it is these very schools that have the most level of pupil needs.
The report by the NFER also highlights that pupils were less emotionally ready for transition than usual and that school leaders believe that they need properly funded support for pupil wellbeing which is flexible and holistic. At TICK Hub, we believe strongly that pupils desperately need a well-rounded education with as much emphasis on both the foundation and creative subjects. The NFER reports it is the schools with accountability pressures which are narrowing the curriculum. Why is this? Is it because they fear their data will drop? Do they fear a negative Ofsted grading? If we are to properly address the needs of our children and those in our most disadvantaged areas, then we need to release them from the judgements of Ofsted. Ofsted need to consider carefully how these schools are adapting to suit the needs of their school communities and we need to adopt a supportive stance.
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